Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Soup and Siberia, not necessarily in that order.

I made soup yesterday.  I don't usually make soup - fussy eaters - but Lloyd's out of town and I didn't have to feed anyone but myself so I decided to use leftovers from the fridge and see what I could come up with.

I started out with a bowl of leftover seasoned ground beef which we had used in burritos a couple days ago.  Into the pot it went...followed by some chopped onions, salt and pepper.  I added several cups of water seasoned with beef broth, threw in some chopped tomatoes (leftover from the burrito meal of a couple days ago), some frozen corn and peas, more random seasonings, and finally a handful of uncooked elbow macaroni.  Then I let it cook for awhile.  The result was a very tastey pot of soup which I ate for both lunch and dinner with a piece of buttered bread.  And that's all I needed for the day.  Of course, now I have leftover soup!  Guess what I'll be eating today...

"Leftover Soup"

Lloyd and I had dinner with our oldest son and his family on Saturday.  He had been on a business trip to Siberia two weeks before Christmas and was telling stories of his experiences in a part of the world that was cut off from 'outsiders' for many years and is vastly different from our home country.  For one thing, they don't seem to know how to host visiting colleagues.  (Rob is a metallurgical engineer and his group was visiting a steel plant over there).  Noone over there spoke english. They had an interpreter but after the meetings he left the group on their own to get around, find restaurants, etc.  Rob was not impressed with the food.  He said the restaurants were like large diningrooms in someone's house.  Most of the food offered was in the form of casseroles, which Rob dislikes on principle.  One night they went out for steak.  And that's what they got.  A plate with a large slab of meat - no marinades, no spices, no sauces, no vegetables - just a big slab of meat.  While they were in the restaurant, three men with ski masks over their faces, carrying assault rifles, burst in and went directly to the table Rob was at, shouting and waving a piece of paper.  They had a picture of a man - a foreigner to them - and they assumed that someone at Rob's table either was that man or knew him.  They managed to make it known that they did not know the person in the picture and luckily the men and their assault rifles left.  A scary place to go.  I hope Rob's company doesn't send him there again.  And that's just one of his stories.  Here are a few of his pictures:

Statue of Lenin outside steel mill

Cathedral built over the spot where the last Czar (Nicholas II)
and his family were shot by the Bolsheviks.

Memorial to fallen soldiers of the Russian Afghan war (1980s)

Rob in Siberia

Have a nice day - I'm going down to eat some soup now.

Pat

15 comments:

Bev said...

wow what an experience! Thanks for sharing the pictures...and enjoy that leftover, leftover soup!!

My Grama's Soul said...

Yikes.....what an ordeal....but sounds like the soup you made is a cure for all worries.

xo

Jo

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Your soup looks and sounds wonderful. I love soup of most any kind. I hope for his sake that your son is not required to return to Siberia either. We just don't realize how spoiled we are until we hear about other countries like that one. I'm sure you are relieved that he is home safe and sound.

Laeli said...

Wow, remind me never to go to Siberia. How scary and weird.

Your look looks delish. I am a soup girl:)

Anonymous said...

At least when Malcolm worked abroad he didn't go to scary places! We eat a lot of soup, mostly for lunch, but sometimes we have a bowl of soup and a bacon sandwich for dinner - bliss!

Southhamsdarling said...

Hi Pat. Gosh, your home made soup certainly looks wonderful. Bet it was really delicious. Nice simple meals like that would be fine for me if I was on my own, instead of having to cook a 'proper' meal all the time! I bet that Siberia was cold!! Doesn't sound like a very happy experience all round and, as you say, let's hope that Rob doesn't have to go back there again in a hurry!

Sush said...

Your soup looks delicious! I may just have to whip out the old pot and get back to my soup making.
My Dad's cousin was married to a career diplomat. He was ambassador to the USSR when it was indeed that country. They had some wild stories while posted there, the saddest is that he died from cancer that Dr's claimed were the result of radioactive waves aimed at the US Embassy while he was stationed there. Not a friendly place.

Haf Dozen Reasons....... said...

Your soup looks scrumptious. We too tend to make a large kettle of soup then eat it til I cant look at soup for a long time!! But that never happens with chili!! :)
What an experience for your son....maybe one that mama didnt really want to hear?

Granny Annie said...

My sister makes soup with left overs all the time and it turns out great like yours did. I'm afraid mine would not br good I'm, not very good at coming up with invented meals. Sounds like you could open a restaurant in Siberia. Try to keep your son at home if possible.

Belle said...

Thanks for your comments on my blog. I thought I was following you already! Sometimes I do that. I'm not a very organized person.

Anyhoo, I was enthralled by the story of your son in Siberia. That is horrible about the assault rifles! I would have figured my time was over. I also hope his company never sends them there again. And the soup sounds terrific.

Magpie said...

I love how your soup turned out. I love one pot meals myself. Too scary on the Siberia story though. I hope he doesn't have to go back either.

Mickey said...

I love homemade soup of any kind and thankful to have a hubby who likes it also. Such a great way to empty the frig!
Hadn't heard that story of Rob's from the restaurant. scarey for sure.

TARYTERRE said...

What a SCARY experience you son had. That would have traumatized me for the rest of the trip. Great idea throwing together the soup like that. I have been driving a porcelain bus, battling the flu and losing this week. So-oo sick. Feel horrible. I'll be back again to comment, when i'm feeling better. take care.

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